How to Tame That Gentle Male Lead - Chapter 0.1
The rain that had been pouring like a torrential downpour had stopped, and the sun made its appearance. Resena stepped outside. The glistening sunlight dried the raindrops collected on the greenery, filling the air with a fresh scent that tickled her nose.
“They are coming.”
Resena nodded at the words of the maid, Del. With her father, mother, and Renard at the imperial palace, she was the only one to welcome the crown prince. Of course, he was coming to see only her. Resena watched as the splendid carriage approached, leaving the maids behind.
“Resena.”
His silver hair reflected the light brightly, and his eyes, the color of the summer sea, sparkled with a unique brilliance. The beautiful young man who stepped down from the carriage displayed his exceptional beauty without restraint, making it almost overwhelming to look at him directly.
‘But my heart is drawn to someone else besides Eldis, Your Highness…’
There might not be anyone more beautiful than the person before her, but Resena recalled the one who was sculpting on a bench at the canal dock. His delicate features and his blue eyes were of a vivid hue.
“Welcome, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“I missed you.”
Whether he knew her thoughts or not, Crown Prince Eldis spoke in a gentle voice and took her hand. The kiss that naturally fell on the back of her hand was warm, causing Resena to waver for a moment. Sensing this, Eldis looked up at her with a languid expression.
“I brought a gift too. I wanted to see your happy face.”
The gift Eldis presented was a bouquet of fresh roses. Resena, looking at the letter envelope nestled among them, smiled brightly.
“Thank you… May I open the letter now?”
He laughed clearly at her question.
“Haha. I’d like you to read it when I’m not around. It’s filled with embarrassing words and my heartfelt feelings, so it would be awkward to read it right in front of me.”
Resena couldn’t help but smile at those words. Such honesty seemed to slightly shift the direction of her heart, which had been leaning towards Vernas. Resena slowly bowed her head and deeply inhaled the fragrance emanating from the blue roses.
The scent, revealing the gentle nature of the giver, softly filled her lungs. After savoring the sweet yet subtle rose fragrance, Resena approached him with a kinder demeanor than before.
“Thank you for the gift, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Shall we go? I’ll escort you to the drawing room.”
“Hmm… But Resena, how about we talk in the greenhouse at the Duke’s estate today? There’s a greenhouse at the imperial palace too, but Leonard boasted that the newly built greenhouse at the Duke’s estate is so beautiful.”
She chuckled at his words. Leonard, boasting like that. Come to think of it, the greenhouse was something she learned about for the first time in this life, unlike in previous regressions. Because of that, Resena spoke to Eldis in a gentler tone.
“Then, I’ll escort you to the greenhouse. Luna, could you lead the way?”
“Yes, understood, my lady.”
Having gone through several regressions, she finally stood in this place. Following Luna, Resena briefly fell into reminiscence.
In this life, which began after several failures, Eldis came to have feelings for her.
All of this was due to the direct advice she gave to Eldis. Resena recalled the first advice she gave him.
[Why do you accept all those actions?]
[……Lady.]
[If you continue like this, you won’t be able to protect the person you truly need to amidst the women surrounding you.]
[……That is.]
[You need to wake up.]
[…….]
[Instead of being kind to everyone, become someone who can protect just one person. Otherwise, you will surely regret it someday.]
Those words left a deep impression on Eldis’s heart. Like a drop of water creating a huge ripple on the surface, it began to change the essence of Eldis. Resena witnessed the clear smile visible through his silver hair fluttering in the breeze.
He looked as if everything he did with her was delightful.
‘Does he enjoy being with me that much?’
Resena could feel a faint smile forming on her lips. However, she didn’t feel like retracting that smile. She liked how his bright summer sea-colored eyes occasionally glanced at her as they walked together.
After walking for about 10 minutes,
Resena could see the glass greenhouse reflecting the light.
“It’s truly a sight to behold. The one in the imperial palace is arch-shaped, but the greenhouse at Arnasus is roof-shaped, scattering the light more. Resena, what do you think, do you like it?”
“Well, it’s my first time seeing it now… Just from the outside, I like it. But I’ll have to go inside to know what it’s truly like.”
Eldis then laughed brightly.
“Hoho. Since it’s made by Arnasus, it seems they’ve gathered rare plants from all over the empire. I think you’ll love it. I’m looking forward to it too.”
Her heart fluttered every time his clear voice resonated. His face, smiling like a hydrangea in summer, was reaching the pinnacle of beauty, like the charm of a full moon appearing after the clouds cleared.
Thanks to that, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. So Resena, feeling embarrassed by her behavior, instinctively lowered her gaze. It was inevitable for her heart to flutter. Witnessing his beauty so directly, any woman in the empire would have no choice but to accept his courtship.
“…….”
But at the same time, she felt sorry for Vernas.
Where does her heart truly lie?
Is it with Vernas? Or is it with Eldis?
Or could it be both?
